Wheel bearing going bad?

[19Cutlass94]

Well Ive read other topics, trying to see if they relate to my problem or not, and they dont and Ive search but didnt find anything. It seems whenever I go around a turn, fast or slow doesnt matter, especially when I hit a little bump, I can hear it and feel something moving in the drivers side front wheel. I cant really describe the noise to good, but it sounds like something is hitting something else good description right, well I duno how to describe the sound but when I have my foot on the floor, right below the E-brake, it feels like small continous vibrations until I stop turning. I hope I kinda described it good enough, but could it be a wheel bearing going bad? Because everything else is tight, not leaking any tranny fluid, CV shaft and joints are fine, not loose. If its not a wheel bearing, what else could it be?

 

Thanks for the help in advance guys!

[MonteCarloChick]

Jack it up and see if the wheel moves back and forth when you pull it

[19Cutlass94]

Allrighty tried that when it was on the lift when I fixed the tranny leak, which was a bad clamp on the hose, btw and the wheel didnt move one bit.

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

If it's a constant vibrating feeling then it's probably a wheel bearing. Have someone sit in the passenger side and see if they notice the sound too. Sometimes damn wheel bearings are hard to figure out which one is bad. My mechanic changed my front passenger side (when you turned hard to the right the noise went away) and I thought it was that one also. BUT It turned out to be the rear left.. go figure

[DaveFromColorado]

wheel bearings typically sound like a "moaning" type noise, almost metal to metal, and usually gets louder with sharper turns (putting more weight on that wheel)

 

if that's kinda what it sounds like, then it's probably time for a new bearing.

 

--Dave.

[MonteCarloChick]

If the wheel didn't move I don't know what it is

[DaveFromColorado]

the bearing doesn't always have to be loose enough to allow movement, sometimes the internal race of the bearing can be slightly bad causing the moaning, and adding stress to the other parts with only a trace of a noise to tell you it's bad...

 

my Achieva has been doing this for over a year now.

 

--Dave.

[19Cutlass94]

yeah it makes like a moaning noise, but for the most part it doesnt get very much louder, if louder at all, as you go faster around turns. I mean it stil spins very free, well the way that it should as if nothing was wrong.

[DaveFromColorado]

yeah, wheel bearings can get extremely noisey, and not show signs of being bad, which is why the bearing is still* bad in our Achieva after over a year of it makin' noise. I do keep an eye on it, if it starts to loosen up at all, I'm replacin' it real fast, but until then, I can just turn the radio up.

 

--Dave.

[19Cutlass94]

yeah I mena Ill have to replace it soon, maybe this weekend, if thats really whats causing it, because Id rather not hear that noise because sometimes I like to drive with the radio off ( yeah weird right) and would rather not hear that noise, but if its the bearing, I dont wanna have it like blow up at a bad time. But plus Ive check everything there is to check around the wheel and everything is solid and sound.

[DaveFromColorado]

dude, it's not weird to drive with the radio off, hell, I never* turn the radio on in my Mustang, and almost never in my Z - but my son likes the radio on in the car (he's 8 months old) and the radio keeps him quiet so it gets turned on in the Achieva.

 

Good luck with the wheel-bearing, they are a pain in the ass on the W's.

 

--Dave.

[19Cutlass94]

what does changing one require, Ive never changed one before

[DaveFromColorado]

well, if I remember right, you gotta pull the bolt for the CV axel, pull the ball-joint nut, and pull the assembly off the control arm, then there should be 4 bolts on the back side that hold the bearing in place, at least that's the way I always do it, takes almost no time, but it's a Pain in the ass to say the least.

 

--Dave.

[MonteCarloChick]

Well I just helped the BF change one of his yesterday and it took about an hour

[19Cutlass94]

Arnt these bearing pressed in? So Ill need to get a press, to get them out and to put them in, but it sounds like I have to take aprat basically the whole half of the front end

[MonteCarloChick]

I don't know about yours but his bearing was just an assembly we needed to unbolt

[19Cutlass94]

What car does he have? Because I was talking to my dad, whos been a mechanic for about 30yrs, I think he said it was pressed in, but I dont think hes sure because neither one of us have taken one apart before

[MonteCarloChick]

'01 Z24 and I'm assuming you're talking about your Cutlass so me chiming in doesn't help since I know more about his car now than mine

[DaveFromColorado]

on the J-body, N-body and L-body (I think L-body) at least the bolts for the bearing are on the outside, on the W-body's they are on the inside. I'm not sure of the year changeover but at one time you had to pull the CV shaft out of the bearing to get to the bolts, and in the newer ones, you could simply slide the CV shaft back to get the clearance you needed, some will take an hour, some will take three, and in the case of the N-body, if you spend more then 45 minutes doing the job, you've already taken too long.

 

The bearings are pressed together, but it's much easier to get the hub assembly (already pressed into the bearing) it will save time, and it's not that much more expensive. I've replaced my fair share of bearings in just about every GM, including the corvette's (which are fairly easy actually)

 

--Dave.

[19Cutlass94]

yeah my dad told me I had to basically take apart half of the front end to get to it, He has a press up at work, so Ill just be buying the bearing since we can press it for free. But I guess he saying that I need to take out the CV shaft and that he said it was like a weeked project to do. Keep in mine he dont have power tools hereof lifts, its in my garage with just a jack and some stands, although not sure when Ill get around to doing this though :?

[DaveFromColorado]

you should be able to bang it out in an afternoon, not a full weekend, you don't need to pull the CV axel completely out of the car, you simply pull the lower ball joint bolt, then move the assembly away from the CV axel, that'll give ya enough room to get it from there - I've done the job a few times without power tools.

 

The bearing and hub assembly is only $92 and you don't have to risk screwin' up the hub itself in the press - which is WAY too easy to do (trust me, I know)

 

--Dave.